Phillies Sign Pedro Feliz

In a move that won't impress anyone, the Phillies filled their hole at 3B with the former Giant Pedro Feliz. Feliz hit 20 home runs last year, but hit just .253. He will surely hit more home runs in Citizens Bank Park, but he's exactly what the Phillies don't need: another guy who strikes out too much and rarely gets on base. Feliz has never seen a pitch he didn't want to swing at. One positive from this signing is they needed another right-handed bat to break up all the lefties in the line-up. Feliz will probably end up playing 120 games at third, and probably will hit 6th or 7th in the line-up. He will create another platoon situation for the Phillies, as Greg Dobbs should still play some 3B against right-handed pitching. Feliz also is known as a great defensive player at 3B, and he is versatile enough to play in the outfield and even could fill in at shortstop if he had to. Giants coaches last year thought that Feliz should have won the Gold Glove at third, so that is the true value he will bring to the club. At the very least we know he won't need a late inning defensive sub.

There is no word yet on how much he signed for, but we do know he signed a two year deal pending a physical. My initial reaction is a negative one, but it really depends on how much he signed for. I doubt the Phillies got great value for him, though. The Phillies line-up is really turning into an all-or-nothing group, with tons of sluggers who either hit it out of the park or miss completely.